Decision Advantage at the Edge: Rethinking Logistics for the Pacific

Stephen W. Cole is Operations Flight Lead of Pacific Air Forces Cyberspace Systems Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. He is responsible for providing resilient cyber capabilities to enable situational awareness for Pacific Air Forces warfighters. The scope
of his responsibilities encompass operations and maintenance for collaborative software platforms across Indo-Pacific Command’s Area of Responsibility.

Mr. Cole entered the Air Force in his current position in January 2021, followed by AFFOR Intermediate Staff Course training in May 2021. Prior to his current position, Mr. Cole was the IT Operations Division Chief at Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West) at Camp H.
M. Smith, Hawaii.

Mr. Cole has previously held several positions in public service as a Navy civilian since March 2010, including positions in Information Assurance, System Administration, and Project Management. Prior to his public service, Mr. Cole held several positions working in
the private sector, and served in the US Marine Corps until October 1994.

LTC Murdough is a native of Plymouth, MA and began his military career as a reserve officer training corps cadet at Providence College in Providence, RI.  He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps, branch detailed to Infantry in May 2008. LTC Murdough served as a Stryker Rifle Platoon Leader, later Battalion Assistant Operations Officer (S-3) later Stryker Rifle Company Executive Officer (XO) in 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, 2nd Brigade (SBCT), 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, HI, deploying to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2010.

In 2013, LTC Murdough served as Company Commander for C Company, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade (IBCT), 1st Infantry Division at Fort Knox, KY.  After command, LTC Murdough served as the Battalion Signal Officer (S-6) for 9th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), 8th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC.  In 2016, LTC Murdough was assigned to U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) and commanded Redding Recruiting Company, Northern California Recruiting Battalion, 6th Recruiting Brigade at Redding, CA.

In 2019, LTC Murdough served as the Battalion Operations Officer (S-3) and Battalion Executive Officer (XO) for 41st Signal Battalion, 1st Signal Brigade at Camp Humphreys, Korea.  In 2021, LTC Murdough was assigned as the C4 Network Officer for U.S. Army Japan at Camp Zama, Japan and later served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-6.  In 2024, LTC Murdough was assigned to the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), Communications Support Unit (CSU) at Izmir, Turkey as a Land C2 Coordination Officer in support of Headquarters, Allied Land Command (LANDCOM).  Prior to reporting to 8th TSC, LTC Murdough served as the G63 Plans and Exercises (PLEX) Chief for U.S. Army Pacific at Ft. Shafter, HI.

LTC Murdough has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Providence College, a Master of Arts in Information Technology Management from Webster University and a Master of Business Administration from North Carolina State University. His military education includes the Basic Officer Leaders Course II, Infantry Basic Officers Leader Course, Stryker Leaders Course, Signal Captains Career Course, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Brigade S6 Course, Joint Air Operations Command and Control Course and the Multi-Tactical Data Link Advanced Joint Interoperability Course.

LTC Murdough’s awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Iraq Campaign Medal with Two Campaign Stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Basic Parachutist Badge, Netherlands Parachutist Badge, Basic Recruiter Badge, and the Ranger Tab.

LTC Murdough is married to Martha J. Tyler of Louisville, Kentucky and has one stepdaughter, Alexandria (30) who resides in New Albany, Indiana.

Sean Gerner is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major with 25 years of service, including 17 years in the 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion and 75th Ranger Regiment. A 2022 Distinguished Member of the Ranger Regiment, he holds Ranger, Master Parachutist, Jumpmaster, Air Assault, and Pathfinder qualifications, along with appropriate awards and decorations equivalent to his service and grade.

A career Ranger communicator, Sean completed five deployments and operational rotations supporting Iraq and nine supporting Afghanistan, including real-world over-the-horizon alert missions. He served as a Satellite Communications Team Leader and Squad Leader, a Platoon Sergeant directing simultaneous dispersed and distributed operations throughout CENTCOM, First Sergeant of the Forward Support Company in 1st Ranger Battalion, and a Joint Special Operations Task Force J6 Sergeant Major. His senior assignments spanned SMDC satellite control, NETCOM brigade leadership, and Army North DSCA operations. He was selected to attend SOCOM’s Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy, Class 23, in lieu of the Army Sergeants Major Academy. He also completed the Army Force Management and Army Space courses and holds a Top Secret clearance.

Michael Longoria is a former Army Infantry Officer and transformation executive with 17+ years of leadership experience spanning joint military operations, enterprise technology, and defense modernization. With more than 11 years in the United States Army and over 6 years in the defense technology sector, he pairs hard-won operational expertise with strategic innovation.

A combat veteran of Afghanistan with extensive security cooperation experience across Central and South America, Michael has operated at the tactical edge and as a trusted advisor in support of building strategic partner-nation capacity. His work across complex multinational, interagency, and coalition environments spans supply chain continuity, mission data fusion, and humanitarian disaster response — building trust with allied partners to counter transnational adversarial influence. That perspective shapes how he sees the friction forward-deployed leaders face from fragmented data and manual reporting that delay decision cycles — and why he approaches modernization as a warfighting challenge, not just a technology one.

As the Mission Director for US ARMY at ServiceNow, Michael leads the transformation of enterprise mission programs, helping military organizations connect advanced technology and data-centric strategies to increased lethality and readiness. By pushing data and decision advantage down to the unit of action, commanders are empowered to dictate the tempo of the fight — not their adversary — and deliver mission outcomes at the speed of relevance.

Courtney O’Neal Allen is the Executive Producer for GovExec TV and Events, where she shapes the conversations that drive the business of government. With over 15 years of experience in traditional communications and at top-tier broadcast media outlets, where Courtney has led productions reaching millions in markets like NYC and D.C., Courtney applies that broadcast precision to the federal sector, blending multimedia storytelling, strategic communications, and market intelligence to produce GovExec’s industry-leading events and digital TV programming. Courtney is a proud alumna of Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, and Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C.